


Competition

by nico_neo



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, I don't know anything about lifting weights, Jaemin's the confident gay he is, Jeno is weak when it comes to Jaemin, M/M, Nomin at the gym, Renjun is only mentioned but his mention is powerful, Their competition is intense, can i stop this mess of tags, how do I even tag this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2019-07-07 20:32:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15915720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nico_neo/pseuds/nico_neo
Summary: Jeno and Jaemin always competed against each other.And it included the gym as well.“If you success to lift heavier than me today, I’ll take you out on a date.”





	Competition

**Author's Note:**

> I swear all of this happened on twitter, blame [miss electrolyte](https://archiveofourown.org/users/electrolyte/pseuds/electrolyte) for giving me the idea lmao (and go read her works too à_à)
> 
> Also blame that Nomin arm wrestling on WI
> 
> Beta read by @nononomin_ on Twitter (thank you little one~ <3) (You can also blame this little one for the 'lifting weights' idea lmao)
> 
> ... Enjoy i guess?

Jeno didn’t know if it was all planned or if it was just pure coincidence but he highly doubted the last one. The first time they met was, obviously. But now, almost four months after, it was not coincidence anymore if he always ended up at the same time with Jaemin at the fitness center.

He knew Jaemin from the history class they both shared. It’s where they first met per say. Jeno knew Jaemin was quite popular on campus for his good grades. Jeno was too, adding to that being on the school popular athletics team. History was probably Jeno’s favorite subject, certainly why he putted even more effort in studying when it came to history class, trying to score the higher grades. But Jaemin also loved history class. And Jaemin also liked scoring good grades. So, both boys, unconsciously (or consciously, who knows) started to compete on who will get the higher grade at the end of each test or homework.

It looked like they always ended up competing whatever they were doing.

And it included the gym as well.

At first, they would warm up on their own, earplugs in their ears, focused, and won’t even spare a glance at the other. But once the warm up was done and real work out started, they would both straighten up, glare at the other, silently judging and reckoning each other before making their way on their first exercise: the treadmill.

It was always the same routine.

Jeno turned the machine on, beginning at a slow pace and going faster and faster. Being on the athletics team had its perks. He could feel Jaemin’s stare right next to him, the younger trying to follow his pace. But if Jeno went faster without any problems, Jaemin was struggling. But Jaemin had his pride, and he was a tenacious guy, he won’t show any signs of weakness nor giving up.

Even though he could feel his lungs burning.  

By the end of their running session, Jaemin’s breath was rough and Jeno was actually scared the younger would pass out. But it was the game right?

“Already tired?” Jeno smirked.

“You wish.” Jaemin croaked but respond to his smirk anyway. He turned his back and gulped down half of his water bottle. The sight made Jeno silently giggle.

Next, they made their way to the barbell. Jaemin went first.

He sat on the machine, back straight against the backrest. He lifted his arms to grab the pulley and waited for Jeno the set the weight.

“The usual?” the black-haired asked, fiddling with the weights.

“The lighter and then we’ll go heavier. By turn.” Jaemin proposed.

Jeno accepted the deal and set up the lighter weight and mentioned to Jaemin he could start now. Jaemin didn’t start immediately though, instead he was looking at him. Jeno was starting to feel embarrassed from the younger’s stare and quickly adverted his eyes from Jaemin’s sweaty face, his pink hair sticking to his forehead making him look ethereal. And Jeno was weak.

“I have a deal.” Jaemin finally said, grinning when he noticed Jeno’s discomfort.

Jeno cleared his throat and looked back at Jaemin, absolutely not blushing when he saw the pink-haired grin. Jeno blame the red of his cheeks on the room’s warmth.

“What is it?” Jeno eventually asked.

“If you success to lift heavier than me today…” Jaemin made a pause, thinking it was the perfect moment to give a bit of suspense. “I’ll take you out on a date.”

Jeno choked on his saliva but tried to pose it as a cough.

Did he really hear what he had heard?

A date?

“Giving up already?” Jaemin smirked.

That tease.

Jaemin has always been the stronger between the two of them. When Jeno was whining and rambling about Jaemin to his best friend, Renjun, the older always told him that they were kind of complementary. Jeno had the legs’ strength and Jaemin had the arms’ strength. And each time, he added that they should be gym buddies instead of doing childish competitions every time because “you both have facilities in some fields, and you both have difficulties in other fields. Simple as that. Now, stop being the coward you are and ask him out properly instead of whining about him and smiling like an idiot, you wimp” Those were Renjun’s wise words. Jeno never pretended to be brave anyway.

He gulped at the thought that he won’t be able to lift more than what he already struggled to lift. He didn’t pretend to be weak. He lifted way more than Chenle and Jisung, but Jaemin has always been the one to beat everyone.

He was slightly panicking right now. And Jaemin found it amusing.

“So? Deal or not?” His smile never left his face and even though Jeno wanted to shove it away, he couldn’t help but admire it.

“Deal.” Jeno said, confidently.

He would probably (read: definitely) have cramps for the next two weeks but he wasn’t one to turn down a challenge.

Especially if Jaemin was the gain in the end.

Did he really just think that by the way?

Said boy clasped his hands together and shouted a happily “great!” before putting his hands on the pulley again.

“Ten each and then we lift heavier, okay with you?”

Jeno nodded and Jaemin started the exercise.

The first part was easy. They just went heavier and heavier until they reached the weight they usually lifted. Jaemin was one weight heavier than him and when he noticed how he seemed to lift Jeno’s usual like it was a bag of feather, Jeno already wanted to cry.

They eventually reached Jaemin’s usual weight. The younger seemed to struggle for the first time since they’ve started, but it was only visible if you watched him closely. Or alternatively, how Jeno was looking at him right now.

Jaemin finished his last lift, pulled his arms down and expired a deep breath. He wiped some sweat from his forehead and got up, smiling at Jeno.

“Time of truth now.”

Jeno gulped as he took place.

He put his hands on the pulley and took a deep breath, straightening his back. He pulled down once. Twice. He gritted his teeth. Three. Four. Five. He gripped the pulley tighter.

Jaemin was watching him closely, both with admiration and amusement. Jeno was inevitably struggling, sweat was flowing on his forehead and neck, and his skin was taking a red color from the effort. A soft smile stretched on Jaemin’s lips nonetheless when saw that the other had finished the series of ten.

Jeno was breathing roughly and he could already feel the pain in his shoulders and arms.

“That was intense.” Jaemin commented and chuckled after, going to set the weights heavier.

Jeno huffed, mostly because he was out of breath, but a smile stretched his lips as he got up, leaving space for Jaemin and gulping down his water bottle, as the younger started a new series.

 

Maybe they had done three more series. Jeno didn’t know how his arms hadn’t tear off his body already but he put it on the adrenaline and his will to… go on a date with Jaemin. The thought made him blush, but his attention quickly focused back on the pink-haired boy, who was struggling pulling down the pulley. And he was only at the fifth on the series.

His arms were stuck mid air and Jeno could see his neck’s veins popping out.

“Fuck.” Jaemin cursed. And what he did next surprised Jeno, who expected anything but that.

Jaemin had let the pulley go, making the weights slam. He collapsed against the machine backrest and tried to find a regular breathing. He looked at Jeno but closed his eyes a second after.

“I can’t lift that without tearing my arms off.” He said, giggling. “Fuck, it hurts.” He whined.

He got up at some point and stumbled in front of Jeno, and instinctively, the black-haired steadied him by putting his hands on his waist. Jaemin put one of his hand on Jeno’s shoulder to stay on his feet.

“If you lift that.” Jaemin pointed the machine behind him. “You win.”

Jeno took a deep breath and sat down. He gripped the pulley and exhaled a deep breath and didn’t think twice before pulling it down. He didn’t know how, but he didn’t get stuck mid air or anything. It surprised him, to the extent that he effectively got stuck on the second pulling.

“Shit.” He muttered between his gritted teeth.

He tried to pull, using all his arms’ strength but it didn’t seem to be enough. He quickly thought about an alternative. A mere second after, his grip on the pulley had tighten and he wasn’t sitting anymore. Instead, he was in what could be called a squatting position. And hoping he wouldn’t spin his back, he pulled down.

Jaemin had his mouth slightly agape, and he shook his head in admiration and fondness.

“I swear Na Jaemin, you’re gonna be the death of me.” Jeno groaned, his teeth gritted so tight Jaemin was scared he might break them.

Jaemin was about to open his mouth but Jeno spoke before he could.

“If my arms don’t fall from my body after that, you owe me more than one date.”

Jaemin’s smile just widened as Jeno pulled down one last time before falling back on the seat, breathing loudly and his arms dangling on his side.

Jeno was never doing that again.

Actually, he could even avoid the gym for the next two weeks, until his body wouldn’t ache anymore. He bumped the back of his head on the machine backrest and closed his eyes in hope to find a normal breathing again.

He was about to get up when two hands cupped his cheeks and a pair of lips crashed on his own. His eyes widened but he was too exhausted to fight back or even think about how gross it must be considering they were sweating like pigs, but he shoved the thoughts away. The kiss was just a peck, it was simply their lips touching, but it was enough. They parted with a smile, as well as a smack sound, and it’s only now that Jeno realized what happened. And that he turned even redder than he was before.

He sent a curious glare to Jaemin, who simply shrugged, even though his hands never left Jeno’s cheeks.

“You said I owed you more than a date.” Jaemin explained. “I thought a kiss was a great reward for what you’ve just done.”

“You still owe me a date though.” Jeno reminded.

It made Jaemin giggle and the pink-haired patted his shoulder playfully.

“Then how about we both go shower, you stink, change and we go out on that date, uh?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/niconeo3)  
> [curiouscat](https://t.co/e1UnChL5kj)


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